Hi. New to BBC, from Kansas City. 1983 Cheetah 142. Some pics and a question.

[Austin913]

Recently picked up my first bass boat. Had to be glass, had to fit in my garage, had to float and be able to motor about. There is one soft spot in the floor under the console, its finish is rough with spider webbing in some places, has keel rash, and will eventually be a complete refit project. But its mine, I have no payments, and its working out pretty damned swell so far. Caught my personal best on it today in fact. So here is my question... I recently switched out StingRay fins on my monster 40 Mariner. It takes a bit longer to get on plane, but my motor went from running 5k to around 5300 rpm. I haven't GPS'd my speed (always for get to bust out the phone/gps app), but I'd assume I picked up some top end. If not, whats going on?

[douglaswood34]

Nice and congratulations! Did you get your top speed before you made the changes? If not you really can't be sure.

[MMosher]

Your old one looks beat up. Get your prop worked and you'll notice a diffrence.

[ANG]

Ya your new hydrofoil looks smaller so you have less drag in the water. If you can adjust your motor so that your hydrofoil is completely out of the water when on plane then you will notice a bigger difference. But def get the prop reconditioned. It looks a little rough. Check out hole shot propeller. He is a Board sponsor, does great work, and does all my work. You may want to look for a small manual jackplate so you can adjust your motor easyer. Check your local Craigslist.

[mrsturggie]

looks like your havin fun to me by those picks

[Austin913]

oh dang, my post was posted. thanks for the replies. after a few times out, it's time to have the motor serviced by someone that knows what they're doing. it only seems to run smooth at idle and wot. midrange rpm's the motor sounds like it has a misfire or hesitation. on the other hand, it may be running perfectly fine and I know jack s**t about 2 stroke outboards. it'll be worth the peace of mind to get to a shop for a proper tune up.

[Red Dot]

Congrats!

[RiverRatMD]

Congrats buddy.....Now go fish your ass off. Keep up on your maintenance! Plenty of time later to go fast......that bug will bite you in a few years!

[Midnight Rider]

Have the motor tuned up and checked out...probably just a fouled plug, but it's always a good idea to have it gone over so you'll have a fresh start on scheduled maintenance items. Those older Mariner engines, if I'm not mistaken, were made by Yamaha back in those days, until you got up to a certain horsepower, then they were the same as a Mercury. Those old motors were solid and built like a tank. Enjoy yourself and have a good time fishing!!

[Enskyte]

I'm think with the smaller tail the motor didn't have the same down force on the trim which raised the motor(trimmed up). You should be running around 5500 wot.

[johnpscott1]

Sweet rig! That motor is a RUNNER

[Austin913]

Plenty of time later to go fast......that bug will bite you in a few years!

eh, not likely. I'm coming down from my adrenaline chasing days. once you've done motorcycle track days, or triple digits on one wheel through rush hour... well, speed is relative. I just like getting out on the water and enjoying the outdoors.

thanks for the replies guys. boat is currently in a shop now getting a good ole once over. I hate being a newer generation shadetree mechanic. when I had a sportbike, I could tear it down and rebuild it without having to reference the fsm or internet forums too often. but this old Mariner, 2-stroke, carburetor... might as well be Doc Brown's time machine!

[RiverRatMD]

eh, not likely. I'm coming down from my adrenaline chasing days. once you've done motorcycle track days, or triple digits on one wheel through rush hour... well, speed is relative. I just like getting out on the water and enjoying the outdoors.

We'll see Plenty of us been into race cars, speed, etc....I'm no exception. Speed certainly is relative. Going fast on the water can be mighty fun!! Enjoy your boat and the great outdoors.

[Austin913]

We'll see Plenty of us been into race cars, speed, etc....I'm no exception. Speed certainly is relative. Going fast on the water can be mighty fun!! Enjoy your boat and the great outdoors.

haha, indeed.

[csurp]

Congrats! Those old 40 Mariners were bullet proof. Yamaha made, I believe.

[181fsc]

Nice boat. I used to fish out of a tracker with a 40 on it and caught tons of fish.

[chsapeak]

Congrats Buddy. Nice boat.. Enjoy your time on the water and your new ride..:)